Obama discusses immigration changes with Mexican president

WASHINGTON: The leaders of the United States and Mexico spoke Wednesday to discuss President Barack Obama’s executive actions to overhaul aspects of America’s immigration system.

Obama and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said they wanted their countries to “work together in Central America to help address the underlying factors driving migration from the region to Mexico and the United States and deter migrant smuggling, including the smuggling of unaccompanied children,” the White House said in a statement.

In their phone call, the two leaders also pledged to work to combat organized crime and promote improved security “in a spirit of shared responsibility.”

Obama’s controversial overhaul, praised by many immigration rights activists, provides three-year relief for millions of undocumented people who have lived in the country for more than five years and have children who are US citizens or legal residents.

According to the president, it also channels more resources to the US border with Mexico and shifts deportation priorities toward expelling felons. -AFP